Govt, Tottenham tussle over 2017 track worlds

Published: July 12, 2011, 12:37 AM

LONDON (AP) -- The British government says Premier League club Tottenham is endangering London's bid for the 2017 world track and field championship with its legal battle over the city's Olympic Stadium.

Tottenham is trying to get the decision to award the venue to West Ham after the 2012 Games overturned so it can move onto the site and build a new stadium without any track facilities.

The IAAF has set a deadline of Sept. 1 for bids for the world track championships to be submitted.

But Britain's sports minister Hugh Robertson says "if the High Court is not settled we don't have a secure venue. That would make it very difficult to bid."

The other competitors include Qatar, Berlin, Budapest and a Spanish city to be confirmed.